Socceroos boss Bert van Marwijk speaks to the Australian media after arriving in Sydney

New Socceroo Head Coach Bert Van Marwijk (right) is met by FFA head of national performance Luke Casserly as he arrives at Sydney's International Airport.Source: AAP

BERT van Marwijk arrived in Australia and immediately put a line in the sand to the Ange Postecoglou era.

Addressing the media in Sydney on Thursday fresh from his flight from Amsterdam, he said he will be doing things his way and aims to go to the World Cup “to survive the first round”.

“I am respectful of the former coach but I will do it my way,” he declared, in a press conference that included a fascinating glimpse into the style of play he will use with the Socceroos, with an analysis of what makes Manchester City so successful as a side.

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Van Marwijk spoke enthusiastically about the combination of working with Australia’s “special” sporting mentality and culture as well as the chance to compete at a World Cup finals, which he was set to miss out on after steering Saudi Arabia to Russia, before falling out with their national federation.

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But with much talk about his so-called pragmatic style of play compared to the aesthetically pleasing philosophy of his predecessor, van Marwijk made a very strong first impression as to what players and fans can expect.

“I’m a realistic coach,” he said.

“I like creative football, I like to have the ball but I also like to win. That’s the most important thing. I think it’s important we play in a way that fits the players. Also the coach. You cannot play in a way the players cannot do.”

Declaring it a “mistake” to play a way that doesn’t suit your players, he added it is “important for me to get to know the players and their qualities”. His vast knowledge of the Socceroos from scouting against the green and gold as Saudi Arabia coach, and previously Holland’s boss, helped make him FFA’s No.1 target, but he admits he now will need to look at the group through a different lense as he gets to know each player’s individual qualities more thoroughly.

Speaking of his impressions of the Socceroos, he was at pains to point out his respect for the previous regime, and explained: “My experience is they can play football, try to play football, are physically strong and for me, the challenge is to let them play in a way that we have more chance to win games, for example, against France.

“That’s difficult, but France played a draw at home against Luxembourg and lost in Sweden.”

When asked about the side’s prospects of success in Russia, the Dutchman was bullish, confident and then provided a fascinating outline of how he’ll approach this job.

“When I don’t have confidence in that (success) I would not sit here. It will not be easy. But I already said, with Holland also, we might not have the best players but we can have the best team … players know what to do, they trust each other, they trust us and you play in a modern way.

“For me, modern football is not even the system, but I am a coach who also likes to have the ball and I like to play combination football.

“But in modern football you also have to have influence on the game when you don’t have the ball. Modern football is about transition. 100 years ago, the pitch was the same size as now but the players are bigger, stronger, faster, the food and circumstances are better – but the pitch is the same size. It’s all about space. For example, Manchester City may be the best team in the world this moment, every game they have the most ball possession, but at the moment they score the most goals from transition... It’s a challenge to work with a team to achieve that.”

New Socceroos Head Coach Bert van MarwijkSource: Getty Images

Van Marwijk has until early March to run the rule over Australia’s best talent before selecting his first squads, for games against Norway and Colombia in Oslo and London.

He will run the rule over the A-League this weekend before scouting Australia’s global contingent, and admits he goes in with an open mind, willing to find a gem or two if they pop up along the way.

New Socceroo Head Coach Bert Van Marwijk (right) is met by FFA head of national performance Luke Casserly as he arrives at Sydney's International AirportSource: AAP

“I’m very happy to be here after a very long trip. Excited,” he said.

“It’s a big challenge, especially because we have not so much time. I have to get to know the players, in a short time. That makes the challenge even bigger.”

He outlined a preference for training, rather than games, which could be a factor in the Socceroos not having a farewell game before the squad departs for Russia.

With just over a month to chose his first squad, he would not go into specifics on any player, but when asked about Tim Cahill said: “I think it’s a very good signal he is going to play for Millwall. But I will not say anything about the qualities of the players”.